Saturday, October 20, 2012

A Survivor’s Story

Not
for the squeamish

Most of us know someone who has been diagnosed with cancer.
All too often, it’s been a woman who has heard: “I’m sorry to have to tell you
this, but you have breast cancer.”The
following story is not for the squeamish. This is a story about friends and family,
and what they are willing to do in the name of Breast Cancer Research. It’s
also a story about celebrating life, no matter what age you are.

My friend, Gina, and her husband, Steve, recently participated
in raising funds for Breast Cancer Research. They are the attractive couple in
the middle. They donned their Nike’s and took part in Making Strides Against
Breast Cancer, which took place in Green Bay last weekend. They were part of team
‘Brenda’s Badarrows’.

This is Brenda. She is Steve’s boss. The team was formed
because of her. She is currently receiving treatment for breast cancer.

It rained and it rained, but they pushed on. Their team raised
$2205, part of the $125,000 raised for the event.

When they were finished, Gina met up with some of her family, because
they all had appointments.

This is Gina’s grandma, Marcella. No, she’s not getting her
blood pressure read, and she’s not having labs done.

That’s right. She got a tattoo. A real tattoo, with needles
and ink and everything. She is a survivor of breast cancer. She’s proud of her
seventy-four years of life. Feel the sting? Just a little pain, considering
everything she’s been through already.

My arm is tingling, just looking at her arm.

Gina already had the bracelet around her ankle, so she added
the ribbon and the six stars. The stars represent her siblings. She’s a real
pro on this tattoo thing.

I’m
rubbing my arm from grandma’s tattoo, and now I feel a burning on my ankle.

Gina’s sister, Jami, decided that her shoulder needed to be
prettied up. Very charming and feminine.

Tell the truth Jami, did it make your eyes water? Why do I
ask?

Because, now my eyes are watering and my teeth are clicking
together. My arm stings, and my ankle is burning.

Jana, another of Gina’s sisters, picked a different spot. Yes,
the tattoo is on top of her foot. I wonder if she giggled when they touched her
foot. I wonder if she had to use crutches after she was done.

Now my toes are curling, and I’m gritting my teeth in sheer
pain and agony. My arm is stinging, my
ankle is burning, and my eyes are watering.

According to some reports, she was gritting her teeth as well.

This is Gina’s Aunt Carolyn. No, the tat artist is not kissing
her owie. I mean, you don’t see her crying, do you? She looks just as calm as
can be. Probably because she was told to say ‘cheese’.

Donna joined in as well, getting a tattoo on her arm. There
are three stars, one for each of her sisters.

I’m a mess. Someone touched a hot iron to my shoulder, stomped
on my foot, zapped me in the ankle, gave me two snake-bites, and socked me in
the jaw. I can hardly keep typing.

Hey, it’s lunch time, and they’re all smiling. They probably nipped
a little something to kill all that pain.

I’m looking for the Ibuprofen bottle myself. If I can walk
that far.

Ah, that’s better. They all got together again the next day, to
show off and celebrate their new beauty. But that’s not all they celebrated.
You see, it was Marcella’s birthday. How fitting, when the commercials on TV
promote finding the cure for Breast Cancer so that more birthdays can be
celebrated.

Marcella’s sister, Jernice, is wearing artwork as well,
although it’s not permanent like the others.She’s the one on the left.

Look at that beautiful
smile on her face. Why did I mention this? Well you see, Jernice has also been
diagnosed with breast cancer, but it has metastasized to other parts of her
body. And yet, she joined her sister in
celebrating another year of life. What love. What devotion.

But, the story doesn’t end here. There are five more family
members meeting at a tattoo parlor today, to do their part in celebrating life.
Gina is going to be there to cheer them on and offer her support. All in the
name of love.

May we never have to hear those dreaded words, but if we do,
rest assured that there are those out there who are helping raise money for
research.

About Me

Welcome to Chickadee Cottage in the northwoods of Wisconsin. There's always something exciting going on around here. Stories are being created, recipes are tried and noted, the shelves of the church library are tidied. And that's just during my free time when I'm not working at my full-time job in the insurance industry.